Retro Design – A Hot Trend for 2017

You’ve probably heard the saying “everything old is new again.” The same can be said about design and design trends. While the medium might change, many of the old styles can come back into fashion. It’s called modern retro.

Modern retro gets its name from a style that’s very throwback, but not very far back. This technique uses hints of design patterns from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as a basis for projects. (So not only are clothes and hairstyles coming back, but design is too.)

The nice thing about modern retro – or anything retro for that matter – is that it comes with a certain sense of nostalgia and provides an immediate connection between the design and the user. Even without particular brands or icons, modern retro styles should make users say “I remember that.” Most of the designs focus on fun, so that they feel light, easy and have an almost child/early teen flair to them.

What makes a design RETRO?

Using shapes and illustrations
Simple shapes work wonders in creating a retro look. Circles of different sizes are a good example of this. In addition to simple shapes, some of them also opted for a floral background. Bright colors were used in such cases for drawing attention.

Color scheme
Limited use of colors is the prominent trait of retro designs. Full color printing was very expensive in the past.

Typography
Typography has always been an important part of retro design. The font you choose can always add a unique flavor to a design.

Borders
Use of borders is an interesting part of retro designing. Borders can be used for framing a picture, highlighting content or creating focus areas.

Textures
Subtle use of texture and noise in the background helps in creating a visually appealing retro design.

Modern retro is growing in popularity with plenty of other retro and vintage styles. There’s something about the bygone era that designers are really latching on to right now. When a designer purposely develops an old design and blends it with new services and technology we get true retro effect.